What If?
by The Other Side of Sanity
Summary: What if Katniss had been shot in the heart instead of her side? What would have happened then?
1. Chapter 1

_Katniss looked at the screen, hoping to see them concur with her, but instead she watched herself get shot._

The only thing she could feel other than emptiness in her unconscious state was pain. An ember of fire that would start at her chest and spread out. In her state, she could think, hear, and feel, but they all felt very far away. It seemed like an eternity, just looking at the darkness surrounding her, with nothing to do, with no one there with her. _Will it be like this forever? I mean, it could have been a year for all I know. _But along with the rest of her thoughts, it faded away to the never ending gloom. After what seemed to be perpetuity, she felt something. But it was very painful. You know that feeling you get when you're at a really high level in the sky, chest heaving after the climb, but then you lose your balance and fall down? How your breath gets knocked out of you when you hit the ground, multiply that by a hundred and add the painful breathlessness. That was how she felt. Then, she felt everything slip away. Her remaining hope and happiness. The joy she vaguely remembered when she would go hunting. The last thought that slipped away from her was of the man she never got the chance to tell she loved him. Peeta.

**/X/**

Peeta sat in the chair he had occupied for weeks, holding Katniss's hand. Unpermitted tears were rolling down his cheeks and his hair was disheveled from when he would run his hands through his hair, a habit that would show up whenever he was nervous or stressed.

"I remember everything, Katniss. I remember how we kissed, even though it was only for the cameras. I remember when you would be so humble. I remember the picnic we had when we were on the train. We watched the sunset together." Tears were falling down faster now. "I remember that your favorite kind of bread would be the one with the cheese on top. I remember how much you hated it when you heard of what the Capitol was doing for the Quarter Quell. I remember that you risked your life for me." His voice got hoarse. "I remember thinking it was the end of the world for me when I saw your bloody body get whisked into that hovercraft, thinking that I'm never going to see you again." He paused and took a gulp. "I remember that I love you." He whispered. Suddenly her heart monitor started beeping rapidly. "Katniss? Can you hear me? It's me, Peeta. Please, Katniss-"

He was interrupted when he felt her squeeze his hand and he smiled for the first time in weeks. His Katniss was going to make it. His hopes rose up and next thing he knew, he was beaming.

"Katniss, hang in there, you can do it. Please wake up, for me." He reached to press a button to call the doctors, but he felt Katniss's hand go limp. A long dragging sound came from the heart monitor. His heart dropped and broke into a million pieces.

"No, please no." He grabbed her hand with both of his. "Please, no," He sobbed. "You can't go Katniss, your mom needs you, your sister needs you; the world needs you!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "But most of all, I need you." He sobbed harder than he ever had before. He gasped for breath, but it was no use. His world, his everything, was slipping away from her. He pressed the button to call for the doctors and kept whispering to Katniss. One of them came in and gasped. She quickly called in more doctors and they performed CPR on her. A nurse tried to push him out, but he resisted.

"No, I can't leave her! I told her, I-I told-" He broke down in tears. A doctor led him out and sat him somewhere, but he didn't know and he didn't care. All he wanted to do was be with his Katniss. The next thing he knew he was unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, so I fixed this chapter and made it more descriptive. Enjoy!**

Peeta woke up and was confused by his surroundings but then it all came crashing down. _Katniss. Shot. Dead. _He started to tear up, but he swallowed down the tears. _She's dead, and I never got the chance to tell her that I love her, but I did make it clear that I did. _He thought.

He sat up from the plastic chair and made a promise to himself. _Even if she is, _He gulped down the tears that threatened to spill over. _ Dead, she wouldn't want me to cry. So I won't. Ever again._ He wandered around for awhile around the temporary hospital and found a small corridor and collapsed onto the floor. He lay there, on the dirty white floor that smelled of sterilizer for who knows how long, until he couldn't take it anymore. He stumbled up and world seemed to spin around him. When he steadied, he started to stumble out to the crowded area.

"Mr. Mellark?" A voice called out. He turned and looked at the stout doctor that had called him.

"Yes?" He managed to choked out.

"Where have you been? It has been a week since you have been last seen! Anyways, come with me." The doctor started to lead him. Peeta kept his head down and when they stopped, he looked up to see Room 45. _Katniss's room._ He turned around, horrified.

"Why did you bring me here? She's dead! I couldn't save her! Why did you bring me here? To mock me? To show that I can never see or ever touch her again? To never tell her that I love her, this is sick, cruel!" He yelled. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the makeshift hospital. Peeta didn't know where his mind was taking him, but he didn't want to stop. He felt as if he kept on running, he would never have to face the fact that Katniss, the only girl he had ever loved, was dead. He stopped running and looked up only to be horrified again. He was in the forest. _Where Katniss used to hunt._ He thought. He broke down.

He collapsed onto the forest floor and sobbed harder than ever. Every memory and moment they had together flashed through his mind, taunting him, making the truth more painful. _Katniss is gone, and she _never _coming back. Ever. _He thought. He screamed into the air, scaring the birds and making them fly away. Peeta was jealous of them. How they could just fly into the sky. How they were so free. It sucked, and he just wanted everything to end. He balled up his sleeve and screamed like no tomorrow. The chattering forest fell silent and the only thing that could be heard was his strangled cries and the occasional mockingjay singing a song. By the time he was done his chest was heaving and his voice was gone. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He fell unconscious.

**. . .**

"Peeta! Where are you?" He heard a feminine voice call out. For a second he thought it was Katniss, but then the voice called again. It sounded something like Katniss's voice, but not really hers.

"Peeta!" The voice had found him. He opened his crystal eyes and a blur of shimmering yellow covered his eyes. "Peeta! I am so glad I found you!" It was Prim. He looked at her and noticed her eyes were full of relief. _Why is she relieved? Her sister just died!_ He thought. "I need to show you something!" She dragged him up, which was an impossible feat as he was bigger, and lugged him through the sparkling forest. Then, he caught sight of something.

"Katniss? Katniss!" He called out. Just as she had turned around, every chatter and ray of sunlight melted into complete darkness.

"Katniss!" He yelped out. _It had been a dream. Just a dream._ He thought. He stood up on unsteady feet and made his way home through the luminous forest. When he entered, he knew what he was going to do. He reached stumbled up to his room and reached into his nightstand. As he took out the bottle that held the objects that he was looking for, he thought, _I'm coming, sweetheart, I am coming._

He opened the bottle and took one of the many small dark purple disks out. Peeta put it into his mouth and swallowed the sweet yet bitter pill.

"Peeta!" Someone called out as he collapsed onto the carpeted floor, spilling the rest of the hazardous items in the bottle all over the floor. The person gasped and he thought it was awfully familiar. "Get help! He swallowed nightlock!"


	3. Chapter 3

**I would love to give a shout out to FlyAlone, CaptainEKO (love you crazy star!), Haven, VMars lover, NeverRegretAnything, My names is Katniss, tribute324, Hungergamesfan, and ilovepeetam. I also thank all the people who alerted and subscribed.**

Katniss had never been one to love, she was too stubborn to. Sure, she loves her sister and her mother, although, her relationship with her mother was a bit rocky, but that was family love. She wasn't accustomed to love _love._ But when she saw Peeta collapse onto the floor, spilling nightlock all around him, it shattered her heart. She was very surprised at how quickly her heart did, too.

She already knew she loved him, but now she was _sure _of it. As she waited in the waiting room, she couldn't stop panicking. She knew that he already had a small chance at living. Katniss couldn't help but play the scene in her head again.

_She couldn't wait until she saw him again. Katniss had heard of what happened when the doctor brought him in front of the door and she was antsy to see him, to assure him that she was alive. When Haymitch had finally let go of her arm in front of the gate of the Victor's Village, she sprinted to Peeta's house despite her condition. When she arrived at his front door, she heaved for breath. Before her injury, she wouldn't have been winded, but since she had been shot in the chest, it seemed as if every movement was laborious. _

_She burst through the door and called out for him. _

"_Peeta? Peeta, where are you?" Katniss heard movement upstairs and smiled. She was going to be able to see Peeta. She rushed up the wooden stairs and called out to him once again. _

"_Peeta!" She opened the door and gasped at the scene in front of her. She couldn't comprehend for a second. Thoughts came swarming in. _Peeta. Purple Pills. Nightlock. Wait, nightlock?Why would he have-? _And then it hit her. Hard. _Peeta swallowed nightlock. _She looked behind her and saw that Haymitch was climbing up the stairs. _

"_Get help!" She called to him. "He swallowed nightlock!" Haymitch's eyes immediately widened and he clomped down the stairs trying not to fall off, trying to find the phone. Katniss lurched forward but caught herself. She rushed to Peeta and dropped down to her knees. She brought herself to his body and cradled his head into her lap. She felt something wet running down her arms and found that she was crying. She, Katniss Allardia Everdeen, was _crying_, but she didn't care. She let the tears run down and looked at Peeta's face. _

_His face was slack, but a bit troubled. She sobbed harder and threw the bottle to the nighlock at the window, smashing it to bits. She cried as she watched the shiny glass shards rained down. More tears found their way out of her tear ducts and dribbled down her cheeks onto Peeta's shirt which was stained with her tears. _

"_I'm h-here, Peeta, I ne-never left. So pl-please don't leave m-me. You said y-you would be with m-me for-" Her voice broke and she started whispering. " said you would always be there with me. Don't go, please, don't. I couldn't handle it if you left me, especially after you made that promise. That you would be there for me, always." The people that Haymitch called came and tried to get Peeta into a makeshift stretcher to take him to the hospital. She screamed at them._

"_No! You can't t-take him away from me! Stop it!" She screeched at them. He pried her out of her grasp and her arms went limp. Haymitch tried to quiet her down._

"_It's okay, sweetheart, lover boy will be all right." He awkwardly soothed her._

"_No! He won't be okay! You know why? Because of me!" He flinched back. After sobbing for half an hour, she fell unconscious._

She had _finally_ gotten over her stubbornness, and now, she couldn't tell him that she genuinely loved him back.

"Peeta Mellark?" She shot up and looked at the doctor expectantly. "Are you Katniss Mellark?" She was taken aback by this but she just nodded. "Your husband has been calling out for you, he's in Room 32." She nodded in thanks and rushed to his room. She burst through the door.

"Peeta?" She gasped at what she saw.

* * *

><p><em>What? How can this be?<em>

* * *

><p><strong>HAHA cliffhanger!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_Jealousy- n. a __feeling of resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages_

**She couldn't believe what she saw. No matter how much she knew he hated him, she didn't think he was this… jealous. Right now, she just thought he was plain psycho.**

"Gale! Get away from him!" She had walked in the clean and pristine room only to find Gale's hand, clutching a shining knife, hovering an inch away from Peeta's jugular vein. Gale looked up, alarmed. He started to sputter.

"K-Katniss, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" He cautiously inched the gleaming object closer. Katniss saw the action.

"Gale if you get any closer…" She left the threat hanging in the sterilized room.

"C'mon Katniss, we've known each other for years! Longer than you and bread boy over here." He jerked his head toward an unconscious Peeta. "Who was there in the first place? Me! He gave you bread, big deal! I helped support you and your family for _years_! I taught you how to be brave and to survive in this kind of world! I was your best friend for years, and he just came in and took you away from me!" Katniss fumed.

"Who said I was _yours_? And I wouldn't have met you if it weren't for Peeta! If he hadn't given me the bread, I would have never gotten the energy or hope that was used to meet you!"

"Katniss, please," He pleaded. "You can do so much better than him." Katniss glanced down at the blade that was still poised over Peeta's neck. Gale followed her glance and he smirked. Their eyes connected and Katniss knew what he was about to do. Not a moment too soon, he said, "I'll make a deal with you," His desperate tone had been replaced by a dangerous threatening tone. "If you come with me, be with me, I won't kill him."

"No, I won't go with you or ever be with you!" She exclaimed.

"Tough choice."

"No!" She yelled. He had a crazy look in his eyes. His hand lurched forward and Katniss launched herself over Peeta's hospital bed. She tackled Gale and he gave out a yelp of surprise. Katniss felt something drip onto her hand. As she looked down, she saw droplets of red. She followed the trail that went up her arm and her heart skipped a beat.

There, protruding from her chest was the gleaming knife that was supposed to eliminate Peeta.


	5. Chapter 5

_Previously on WF,_

_"No!" She yelled. He had a crazy look in his eyes. His hand lurched forward and Katniss launched herself over Peeta's hospital bed. She tackled Gale and he gave out a yelp of surprise. Katniss felt something drip onto her hand. As she looked down, she saw droplets of red. She followed the trail that went up her arm and her heart skipped a beat._

_There, protruding from her chest was the gleaming knife that was supposed to eliminate Peeta._

* * *

><p>As they crouched on the floor, both stared transfixed at the trail of bright red blood that led up to the gleaming knife that jutted out from her chest. It didn't seem as if it were real. Her distant expression then turned to one of horror. Their eyes met and Gale instantly paled.<p>

"Ka – Katniss . . ." He started to stammer out. She looked up and Gale couldn't believe he had done this.

"Wh - ?" Katniss tried to talk but was cut off as she began to sputter out blood. She started to hack it up as her body registered in the pain. Weird sounds would sprout from her lips as she tried to talk. At each attempt, the amount of blood coming from her mouth increased.

Guilt swept into Gale's features as he stared on, unable to move, but then terror crashed into him. He needed to get out of here. _Now_. He shakily stood up and his heart wrenched at the sight in front of him. A pool of blood started to surround her.

_I can't stay. _

He had to go now before someone walked in to check on Peeta. All thoughts of killing him were forgotten the moment Katniss had tackled him. He had to go now; he couldn't risk anymore moments.

Katniss stared up at him, the expressions on her face a jumbled mess. Disbelief, anger, shock. Gale studied her before he left, just to get one last look at her before he was to disappear. As he made his way out of the room he glanced at the man who had stolen his almost lover. _Damn it. _Gale thought. _You didn't even finish off the job you came here to do! _Gale scolded himself.

He ran out and the look on Katniss's face haunted him. He darted in and out of the shadows and he finally got out. As Gale stepped out, he took in huge gulps of air to clear his mind. He turned around and jumped.

"Madge! How good is it to see you?" Gale hoped that his voice sounded happy and carefree. Madge's scowl deepened.

"Save the act for someone who cares." _So she didn't buy it. _Gale thought.

"What do you," He nodded his head at her. "Know?" Gale demanded, his act dropping immediately.

"Oh, I know a lot of things I shouldn't know."

"That's right; you shouldn't be getting your pretty. Little. Nose. In things that should stay hidden." Gale sneered.

"Well you didn't even care to hide what you did." Gale's heart skipped a beat and terror once again swept into him.

"H – How do you know?" Gale stammered out, his mocking voice snapped right out of him.

"That would ruin the secret, wouldn't it?" The tone in her voice made chills run down his back.

"Shouldn't you be running in to save her right now?" Gale's voice was surprisingly calm. She let out a cruel laugh at his words.

"Shouldn't _you _be on the run right now?" Madge countered. Gale couldn't believe his own ears; Katniss was her friend!

_Like you should be talking. _A voice in his head said but Gale mentally shushed it.

"Touché."

"Listen, I've got a deal . . ."

* * *

><p>Katniss snapped out of her trance the moment he left. She knew he had a small chance of living and consciousness was starting to slowly leave her.<p>

She weakly dabbed some of the blood that was on her arm onto her finger and painted 'GALE' on the wall to let Peeta know who did this in large, dripping letters.

She then painted a small heart onto his arm with her remaining strength and collapsed onto the ground, making the edge smear a trail.

The pain was excruciating by now and the wound from the gunshot made it unbearable. Black dots swam into her vision, the dots almost turning red from the pain. Imagine the pain of having a snake bite you, the venom slowly creeping up to your heart, slithering through your veins. The excruciating pain that would make you double over, making you wish Death would come claim you. Multiply that pain by a hundred and that was the pain Katniss felt.

Consciousness was now rapidly leaving her, as if some tornados were sucking the life out of her. The last thing she heard as she lay on her back was of someone shouting.


	6. Chapter 6

_Previously on WI,_

_The pain was excruciating by now and the wound from the gunshot made it unbearable. Black dots swam into her vision, the dots almost turning red from the pain. Imagine the pain of having a snake bite you, the venom slowly creeping up to your heart, slithering through your veins. The excruciating pain that would make you double over, making you wish Death would come claim you. Multiply that pain by a hundred and that was the pain Katniss felt._

_Consciousness was now rapidly leaving her, as if some tornados were sucking the life out of her. The last thing she heard as she lay on her back was of someone shouting._

* * *

><p>Peeta woke up to a medical induces bliss. The warm sun was streaming pleasantly through the window. He lay there for about twenty minutes. As soon as his head lolled to the side, his trance was broken.<p>

His face stricken with horror, he yelled out.

"No!" He got out of the hospital bed and fell to his knees, the IVs nearly tugging out of his arm.

The sight in front of him was just heart wrenching. Katniss lay in a pool of blood with a knife protruding right next to the spot where she was shot. He saw her eyes close and Peeta cradled her head. Next to her, on the wall, were letters that made blood roar in his ears. There, written in bold dripping letters, was Gale's name. He instantly knew. _Gale. It was him._

He started to call out for help.

"Help! Someone!" Peeta yelled. "Help!"

A nurse came in and gasped. She then started yelling out the door.

_She's alive, _Peeta thought. _But I'm about to lose her again._

A sob escaped his lips as he stroked her hair, which wasn't in its usual braid. He ran his hands through her hair as tear after tear ran down his face, only to be soaked up by Katniss' shirt. Nurses and doctors rushed in and tried to pick her up but Peeta's tight grasp made it difficult.

After a few minutes they finally managed to pry her from his grasp.

"No!" Peeta yelled out. "I can't leave her!" He thrashed around as they tried to get him back on his bed. One of them took out a syringe and started filling it up with a green substance.

Once Peeta saw it, he tried to make a run for it, but the wires that were still in him pulled him back. He ripped them out and ran into the hallway, trying to see which way they had taken her.

He saw the swarm of doctors that had taken her and started to run after her. He hadn't gotten two steps before someone grabbed his arm and injected the drug into him. The powerful sedative took effect immediately and he dropped to the ground.

He managed to whisper.

Peeta's voice was so grief stricken that the nurse who had sedated him a look of pity.

* * *

><p><em>"Katniss . . ."<em>


End file.
